President Muhammadu Buhari, today, held a closed-door meeting with members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), led by their Chairman, Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Kebbi State.
The meeting, which lasted for about two hours and held in the President’s office, was also attended by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), and the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari.
State Governors present at the meeting included Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Atiku Bagudu (Kebb)i, Abubakar Bello (Niger), Ababkar Badaru (Jigawa),Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Abdulahi Sule (Nasarawa), Babagana Zulum (Borno), and Godwin Obaseki (Edo), while Kogi was represented by the deputy governor, David Onoja.
Although none of the participants at the closed-door meeting would agree to speak with State House Correspondents, Newsmen gathered the the issue for discussion might not be unconnected with the crisis in the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
However, the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who is a critical figure in the Edo chapter crisis was absent at the meeting.
It would be recalled that the Edo State chapter of the party has been under intense heat for months, resulting from what has been described as a power struggle between Governor Obaseki and the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Oshiomhole.
The crisis reached a crescendo when the Edo State House of Assembly got torn between the governor’s and the party Chairman’s interests, culminating in 14 members of the House of Assembly fleeing the state.
Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Felix Okiye, only on Wednesday, declared vacant, the seats of 12 members-elect and another two who were earlier inaugurated but have not been attending the house sessions.
All affected 14 persons are loyal to Oshiomhole.
Okiye had urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct bye-elections for the affected constituencies within 90 days.
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